The Gospel Of Repentance

As parents we are responsible for cleaning up our kid’s messes when they are small. Why? Because they are unable to do it on their own. We love our children more than our own lives. We will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety. In like manner, Jesus did whatever it took to secure the salvation of His children by dying in their place; becoming a substitutionary sacrifice for their sins. We can never cleanse our own sins. We must remember sin always requires death (Romans 6:23). In the Old Testament, countless animals were sacrificed on behalf of the people of Israel. The animal’s blood had to be shed because the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). The death of the innocent animal was substituted for the sinner. The daily sacrifices were a constant reminder of the nation’s sinfulness. These sacrifices were foreshadowing the once and for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross (Heb 9:28;1 Pet 3:18). Only Jesus can eradicate the world’s sin dis-ease. Sin is...

Verse 1 – The unrighteous because they are so accustomed to doing dirt are always watching their back as if someone is after them. Even if someone isn’t.   That is the definition of paranoia. Verse 2 : Land in Rebellion – I liken the U.S. like this with the current impeachment proceedings of Donald Trump.   It shows with all the partisan politics, no one can agree on anything. It also shows the rest of the world how divided our government is. I see this as very dangerous because it breeds distrust between our executive and legislative branches of government in particular. It also reveals to the rest of the nations of the world how unstable our “leaders” are. Verse 4: Haters of the law - Our laws were providentially given by God through men to protect the righteous and punish the wicked.   Those who break the law show their hatred for civil order and ultimately are enemies of God who instituted human law. Verse 5 - Wicked people do not understand or resp...

Therefore, I tell you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, not in this age nor in the age to come. `- Matthew 12:31-32 Why the strong language by Jesus? Those that blaspheme the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; why? The word blasphemy means to speak evil, to revile, to hold in contempt. Now, let us put context to Jesus’ statement. Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. The people were amazed, but the Pharisees said that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan, and not by God’s power (Matthew 12:24). What a serious indictment to make! Why would someone be so foolish as to attribute the work of God to the devil? The reason has to be that the religious leaders hated Jesus and wanted Him dead. When one is led by the devil, they are not going to give ...

It would be safe to say that most people wonder why others are affected by someone else’s sins. The best way to answer that question I believe is to explain it parabolically. One can liken sin to a football game. When one player jumps offsides, is that one player penalized five yards, or is the whole team? We know it is the whole team. Why? Because although the team is made up of many players, they are still one unit. The team wins and loses together.   The point I am making is that sin not only affects the offender, but it also affects everyone around us. When Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the entire earth because of them. The tragic result of their disobedience is that all of their descendants would be born with the same sinful nature. God imputed the original sin of Adam to all of us (Romans 5:12). The Bible declares we all, that is mankind sinned in Adam. How? Because we were in the loins of Adam when he committed the sin. That makes us guilty by imputation. The senten...

For years I thought the sin unto death in I John 5:16 was a specific solitary sin. What was most confusing, I did not know what that sin was. Others have regarded the sin unto death as the unpardonable sin. That is the sin that is discussed in Matthew 12:31-32. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. These are two separate matters. So, back to the original question, what is the sin unto death? Well, before I answer that question, let us read the text. “If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should ask, and God will give him life – to those that commit a sin that does lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying one should pray for that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin that does not lead to death” (1 John 5:16-17). How do we make the distinction between a sin unto death and a sin not unto death since the writer John does not provide an example of each in his letter? That is why it is very important to be...

To describe our salvation in a million words would not be enough. So what I would like to do is cover some of the wonderful features of our salvation and why we MUST praise God for it always. One can view our salvation as trinitarian. Why? Because it has three tiers or components to it. They are justification, sanctification, and glorification. Permit me to spend a little time on each. Justification - The act of pronouncing one righteous. To be acquitted. In salvific language, it means the sinner is absolved of all guilt of their sins forever when they believe in the substitutionary act of Jesus Christ who came to the world to take away our sins (Psalm 32:1-2; Matt 1:21; 9:2b; Luke 7:48; John 1:29; Eph 1:7; 1 John 2:2). God the Father punished His own Son for our sins which satisfied or propitiated God's wrath against sin. When one believes in what Christ did for them, they are given a declaration of righteousness. The sinner is not essentially righteous, they are still a sinn...

Yesterday I was watching a program where a girl found out she would not be able to have children because there was something wrong with part of her reproductive system. She was a teenage girl and was involved with the youth at her church. She became angry and blamed God saying He is not good. She told her mother that she was never going to attend church again.  It was her way of getting back at God for not loving and being there for her - in her mind. This young girl's resentment toward God is nothing new. People are yelling, screaming and cursing God every day when things go wrong in their lives. Once again the proverbial question is, "If God is so good and loving and He has all power, then why is this happening to me? I don't deserve it!"  This is the time when a person should do a very careful inventory of their lives. Because I see two possible scenarios. 1) The person is in sin and has refused to repent and ask for forgiveness so they are being puni...